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| Station Characteristics | 2009-01-05/-147256320 |
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| GAW ID | ALT | Alert (Canada) |
| station status | established 1986 / full operation | Global station in WMO RA IV - North/Central America |
| time zone | UTC-5 | 82.45000°N 62.51667°W (210 m a.s.l.) |
| climate zone | ET (Tundra climate) | |
| other affiliations | CAPMoN, NOAA-ESRL/CCG, NOAA-ESRL/AERO(ALT), NDACC |
| description | In 1986, the Alert Background Air Pollution Monitoring Network (BAPMoN) Observatory was opened as Canada's first research station for the continuous monitoring of background concentrations of trace gases and aerosols. Currently, the Dr. Neil Trivett Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory at Alert, NU is the most northerly site in the GAW Network. It is located on the northeastern tip of Ellesmere Island in Nunavut, Canada at 82º28'N and 62º30'W, far removed from the major industrial regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Alert is also the site of a military station (CFS Alert) staffed with about 60 personnel, and an Environment Canada Upper Air Weather Station. The Alert GAW Observatory is approximately 400 m2 in size and is situated 210 m above sea level and 6 km SSW of CFS Alert. It is a key site for Arctic atmospheric process studies, which have led to the discovery of such phenomena as Arctic haze, important chemical interactions of pollutants with snow surfaces, and rapid changes in the chemical composition of the atmospheric boundary layer during polar sunrise. The program at Alert has grown substantially since its inception. A team of Canadian scientists, working in partnership with international scientists, maintains the extensive measurement program at Alert. The measurement and research of trace atmospheric constituents thought to have an impact on climate remains a primary function for this station. |
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| References |
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| Quinn, P. K., et al. (2007), Arctic haze: current trends and knowledge gaps, Tellus Series B-Chemical and Physical Meteorology, 59, 99-114 | ||
| Tomasi, C., et al. (2007), Aerosols in polar regions: A historical overview based on optical depth and in situ observations, Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 112 | ||
| Sharma, S., et al. (2006), Variations and sources of the equivalent black carbon in the high Arctic revealed by long-term observations at Alert and Barrow: 1989-2003, Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 111 | ||
| Stohl, A., et al. (2006), Pan-Arctic enhancements of light absorbing aerosol concentrations due to North American boreal forest fires during summer 2004, Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 111 | ||
| Zellweger, Christoph, et al. (2004), System and Performance Audit of Surface Ozone Carbon Monoxide and Methane at the Global GAW Station Alert, Canada, April 2004, WCC-Empa Report 04/2, gaw.empa.ch/audits/ALT_2004.pdf | ||
| CHAN, Y.H. and WONG, CS (1990), Long-term changes in amplitudes of atmospheric CO2 concentrations at Ocean Station P and Alert, Canada, Tellus B, 42, 330--341 | ||
| Higuchi, K. and Daggupaty, SM (1985), On variability of atmospheric co2 at station Alert, Atmospheric Environment (1967), 19, 2039--2044 | ||
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QA/SAC Switzerland is hosted by the Swiss Federal Laboratories for
Materials Testing and Research (EMPA), Dübendorf, Switzerland. Funding provided by MeteoSwiss is greatfully acknowledged. |
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